Various types of surgical drapes are known and used to keep a surgical site on a patient sterile during a surgical procedure. Traditionally, surgical drapes were linen or woven cloth, and were sterilized after each use for reuse. More recently, disposable sterile drapes have been introduced, in which a nonwoven paper or fabric forms a substantial part of the drape.
Various surgical procedures and examinations, especially urological, gynecological, proctological, and perineal procedures in general, require the patient to be disposed in the Lithotomy position. A surgical drape is placed over the patient with leg covering portions overlying the patient's legs, which are mounted in stirrups. A central, downwardly extending portion of the drape extending between the patient's legs is provided with a fenestration through which the surgeon performs a particular procedure. The patient facing surface of the drape surrounding the fenestration may include an adhesive for attaching the drape directly to the patient.
With many of the noted procedures, a relatively large quantity of fluid is often introduced to and/or output from the patient. It is often necessary to closely monitor this fluid quantity, and it is know in the art to use various pouch configurations to collect the fluid. It is common, however, that fluid leakage occurs between the overlaying drape and the patient resulting in fluid run-off onto the operating table and floor of the operating room. This fluid may also result in various undesirable conditions for the patient in that it accumulates on the operating bed under the patient and the patient remains in contact with the fluid for the duration of the procedure.
In an attempt to alleviate potential problems from fluid run-off and collection under the patient, it is a practice to place a separate drape under the patient's buttocks prior to the sterile field draping procedure, with this drape hanging over the end of the operating table where the procedure is performed. This procedure, however, is time consuming and requires multiple drapes and a multiple step donning process with multiple personnel.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,314,958 describes an underbuttocks drape for controlling fluid reaching a buttocks area of a patient. This drape is a separate component from the sterile field drape and includes a base sheet that is positioned on the operating table under the patient's buttocks. A sealing lip is attached to the base sheet and circumscribes at least a portion of the sheet positioned under the buttocks. The sealing lip includes a compressible foam construction adapted to conform to a contour of the patient around the buttocks as the patient rests on the base sheet. The sealing lip is adapted to fill gaps between the base sheet and the patient such that fluid running along the buttocks is caused to drain into a fluid collection pouch. With this system, however, the underbuttocks sheet must still be separately placed below the patient prior to donning of the sterile surgical drape.
A need thus still exists in the art for a more versatile surgical drape and associated donning procedure that incorporates an underbuttocks drape.